Tamil Nadu Jayalalithaa to be sworn in as CM on 23 May!

-Dr. Abdul Ruff

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Upon the ruling AIADMK’s spectacular victory in the assembly poll, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been invited by Tamil Nadu Governor K Rosaiah to form the government after she apprised him of her election as leader of AIADMK Legislature Party.

Jayalalithaa will be sworn in Chief Minister along with 28 others, including her trusted lieutenant and Finance Minister in the outgoing Cabinet O Panneerselvam, on 23 May in a function at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium. The swearing in will take place at 12 noon, according to the University sources. .

Jayalalithaa called on Rosaiah at the Raj Bhavan yesterday and submitted a letter informing him of her election as Leader of the AIADMK legislature party along with  her party’s resignation from the  outgoing  cabinet as a routine procedure. Later, Rosaiah congratulated her and gave a letter inviting her to form the government. "Jayalalithaa furnished a list of persons to be appointed Ministers in her Cabinet which was approved by Governor Rosaiah," an official release from the Raj Bhavan said.

Jayalalithaa will have portfolios of Home and All India Services including the IAS, public and general administration, stated the release. Panneerselvam will be the Minister for Finance, Personnel and Administrative Reforms again, while former MP Dindigul Srinivasan will be the Minister for Forests. Several of the sitting Ministers have been named to hold offices again including P Thangamani (Electricity), S P Velumani (Municipal Administration and Rural Development), Edappadi K Palaniswami (Public Works), K T Rajenthra Bhalaji (Rural Industries), R B Udhayakumar (Revenue), S P Shanmuganathan (Milk and Dairy Development), and K C Veeramani (Commercial Taxes), the release said.

Including Jayalalithaa, there will be four women in the Cabinet besides three medical doctors. Deputy Mayor of Chennai Corporation P Benjamin, who won from Maduravoyal amid tough competition from DMK, has been named Minister for School Education and Sports and Youth Welfare. M R Vijayabaskar will be Transport Minister. Edappadi K Palaniswami has been allocated Public Works in addition to the portfolios of Highways and Minor Ports, which he held in the outgoing Cabinet. Sellur K Raju will head Cooperation again besides Labour, it said.

The list included the names of 13 new faces who are being inducted into the cabinet. A total of 12 members including Jayalalitha were already present in the ministry. Four women ministers will also be part of the cabinet. Semmalai S will hold the post of the speaker temporarily.

J Jayalalithaa will take oath as the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister on May 23 (tomorrow). A total of 29 ministers will be part of her new cabinet.